Citi Rewards Plus Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
Here is the nitty gritty. Those of us who have been doing this awhile have to admit, this is not a card you're going to want to waste an application on. If you want a card that gives you ThankYou Points, the Citi Premier has a great sign up bonus that justifies the annual fee, or the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards have $0 annual fee and very flexible Ultimate Reward points, both of which offer 0% APR for the first 15 months.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
What It’s Worth to You
The very unique and appealing thing about his card is the fact that it rounds your purchase up to the nearest 10 points, which can be very useful if you're in the habit of making very small purchases at grocery stores or gas stations because that is where you’ll also be earning 2% back per $1. This doesn’t apply to most of us, who spend $100’s at grocery stores per week and a chunk of change at the pump as well. So, to create a scenario for you, if everytime you’re buying your groceries, you decide to put a pack of gum on this card, yes, that could potentially be worth it for you. This one also will give you 10% points back for the first 100,000 ThankYou points you redeem per year, and we all love ThankYou points, so this is a decent perk, but is it still worth it?
Looking at the Big Picture
Let’s take a look at the card as a whole, because in reality, who is going to do a second check out at the grocery store for a pack of spearmint? Yes, there is a welcome bonus that comes after you spend $1000, No, it’s not a great one, in fact it’s pretty meager held up next to some other options out there. Citi also has a few rules that you’re going to want to look into before applying, normally it’s going to involve if you’ve gotten a Citi bonus within the last 24 months.
What to Know About Citi ThankYou Points
Citi points have limited utility; we don’t collect them without a clear use in mind
- If you need to take a break from Chase, already have the top Cap One cards, and Amex isn’t offering elevated SUBs, only then should you consider a Citi card
- Only the Strata Premier card is worth the trouble as it’s the only Citi card with transferable miles and a 60-80k point SUB
- Points are flexible with a breadth of airline partners, some exclusive to Citi (like Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Turkish, and Singapore, amongst others)
Card Information
| Bonus Points | Minimum Spend | Point Value | Annual Value | Annual Fee |
1st Year Value
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | $1,500 | 1.2 ¢ | $0 | $0 |
$258
|
AWARD SYSTEM
CURRENT OFFER
$1,500 spend.
Spend Categories
1X points
1.2¢ Per Dollar Spent
2X points
2.4¢ Per Dollar Spent
2X points
2.4¢ Per Dollar Spent
5X points
6¢ Per Dollar Spent
5X points
6¢ Per Dollar Spent
Point Transfer Options
Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes
Transfer To Friends Yes
Travel Partner Transfers
Citi ThankYou Points Outside Point System
Transfers Out To
1:1 117% value retained
1:1.12 112% value retained
1:1 100% value retained
1:1 100% value retained
1:0.8 80% value retained
1:1 100% value retained
1:1 100% value retained
1:1 108% value retained
1:1 100% value retained
1:1 117% value retained
1:0.8 67% value retained
Citi Rewards Plus Application Rules
Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule
You'll be declined if you apply for a second Citi business card within 95 days
You'll be declined if you apply for a third Citi card within 65 days
You'll be declined if you apply for a second Citi card (business and/or personal) within 8 days
You'll be declined if there are 6 or more hard inquiries on your credit report the past 6 months
